Re: '56 Patrician Brakes

Posted by PackardV8 On 2012/10/22 7:14:56

Many thanks JP for the explanation of the US car/lite truck (GM,F and C) popularity in Oz.

As for this statement:
"When I asked why I was told Chev make the best motors and they rev better than Fords. No mention of Chrysler then, although some use hemi's - maybe they're scarcer."

I will not attempt to argue pro or con of the chevy engine as "the best motors". It would be like arguing favorite football teams and create an infinite number of posts of diatribe.

However, the last 3 words of your quote tend to describe exactly why the SBC is so popular relative to other engines of other manaufacture: "... - maybe they're scarcer."

Love them or hate them, the sbc has become, at least here in the US, a standard, by which ALL other engines are judged whether judged higher or lower.

Or to put it another way:
The SBC is like an employee. He doesn't have to be the very best of the skillset pool . He only has to be ABLE and AVAILABLE and affordable!!!

Here in the US, prior to the great scrap metal price increases of 5 years ago, SBC's and sbc parts for decades literally littered the sides of the road, land fills, back yards, garages etc. Parts so common place that in many cases the auto parts stores didn't even have to ask or look up numbers in a book. Parts man sees a customer walking thru the door with a starter, alternator, just about any SBC part in his hand and has the part off of the shelf and laying on the counter before the customer gets to the counter.

I have seen on at least 2 occasions good looking fully dressed sbc's in the back of pickup trucks being pushed off into scrap metal dumpster. When asked, the owner said it was good low mileage running engine. The ONLY reason he scrapped is because he wanted 400hp SBC crate engine instead of a 2bbl SBC.

I could on and on about this. There are many good reasons the SBC is such a success. Reasons that apply to NO other engine except maybe B&S and HD since the mid-50's.

Or to put it another way:

The next time u have to get your wallet out and that car positively absolutely has to run rite now, and u're tired of the 'professionals' guessing at the problem, then u won't be looking at ford or chrysler engines and parts. U'll be looking at SBC's. Whether u love'em or hate'em.